Mechanics: Newton's Laws of Motion

Newton's Laws of Motion: Audio Guided Solution

Problem 26:

Unbeknownst to most students, every time the school floors are waxed, the physics teachers get together to have a barrel of phun doing friction experiments in their socks (uhm - they do have clothes on; its just that they don't have any shoes on their feet). On one occasion, Mr. London applies a horizontal force to accelerate Mr. Schneider (mass of 84 kg) rightward at a rate of 1.2 m/s/s. If the coefficient of friction between Mr. Schneider 's socks and the freshly waxed floors is 0.35, then with what force (in Newtons) must Mr. London be pulling?

Audio Guided Solution

Habits of an Effective Problem Solver

• Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
• Identify the known and unknown quantities in an organized manner. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity - e.g., v_o = 0 m/s; a = 4.2 m/s/s; v_f = 22.9 m/s; d = ???.
• Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
• Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
• Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.

Read About It!

Get more information on the topic of Newton's Laws of Motion at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

• Mass and Weight
• Friction Force
• Determining Acceleration From Force Values

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